Trade Talks Episode 32: Trump, China, and Tariffs

In Chad's most recent Trade Talks podcast with Soumaya Keynes of The Economist, they update listeners on the status of Trump's "national security" tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as Beijing's retaliation over $3 billion of imports, China's $50 billion proposed retaliatory response, and Mr. Trump's subsequent $100 billion request for more tariffs.

They also analyze Trump's $50 billion Section 301 tariff proposal which deals with technology transfer and is explicitly targeting China which has been accused repeatedly by the US, and other countries, of taking intellectual property.

It is yet unclear how this will play out and if it will ultimately impact growth and corporate profits, but Chad gives a good overview on how we got here and what to look for in the coming weeks. The next event will most likely be China's net retaliatory list, but China only imports $135 billion from the US so they might try to find other ways to make life difficult for US firms doing business in China. Also, on May 15th, there will be a public hearing when other countries can come to the USTR and discuss these tariffs.